|
We Accept
| |
Cicada Killer Wasps
 Cicada
killers (a.k.a. Giant cicada killer wasps) are very large yellow and black
relatives of the mud dauber, but they resemble an over-sized yellow jacket,
measuring 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length with a yellow and black striped abdomen.
Cicada killer wasps are not social insects, but instead dig a single burrow in
the soil. Their burrows are characterized by the U-shaped mound of fine
soil at the entrance of each hole, and it is common to see the wasps hovering
nearby the entrances. The females search tree trunks and lower limbs for
cicadas. The wasp stings the cicada, straddles it, and carries it back to
the burrow where it lays a single egg on it. When the egg hatches the
larvae feeds on the cicada until it is gone, then spins a silken case around
itself to overwinter, hatching in the Spring.
While these over-sized wasps are not very aggressive in nature, the female does
possess a stinger, and will deliver a very painful sting in bothered.
Control Methods
Diligent fertilization and
watering of the grass, to promote thick turf growth, can usually prevent or
eliminate an infestation over a period of one or two seasons. For
immediate control it is necessary to individually dust each burrow; killing the
female as she passes back and forth from the hole. If you think you have a
problem with cicada killer wasps, call Monroe Pest Control Company, Inc. for a
free estimate to eliminate the problem.
|
